Echoes of the Past
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Meeting in Arlathan
Bellara: Oh! Rook! Good to see you. Irelin and Strife sent word. Some of the artifacts we have in storage are acting up. They need a hand to make sure they stay calmed. And don’t rip a hole in reality. Anyways! We can go whenever you’re ready.
Rook meets with Bellara in Arlathan.
Bellara: Okay! We all know why we’re here. Right?
Yenarel: Make sure that the artifacts we calmed stay calmed. We know.
Bellara: This should be easy. Yenarel, you and Strife, take the first set. Irelin and Hamuel, take the second. Rook and I, we’ll handle the rest.
Dialogue options:
1 - Flirt: You picked me!
Rook: You picked me! I’m so flattered.
Bellara: Well, of course. I know you. I mean I don’t know know you. Yet. Not that… anyway…
Rook: (Laughs) Just lead the way, and I’ll follow.
Bellara: All right. Now we’re going to check the crystal alignment. Fade connection. And the lyrium reserves.
2 - Affable: What do I do?
Rook: I’m still a little confused about what I’m supposed to be doing.
Bellara: Oh! Of course you are.
| Veil Jumper Rook | Non-Veil Jumper Rook |
|---|---|
| Bellara: Sorry. Veil Jumpers hadn’t been doing this before, and I organized it after you left. | Bellara: Sorry. Sometimes I forget not everyone spends all their time studying ancient elven artifacts. |
Bellara: We’re going to check the crystal alignment. Fade connection. And then the lyrium reserves.
3 - Stoic: Is this necessary?
Rook: Why are we out here doing this, again?
Bellara: We’re going to check the crystal alignment. Fade connection. And then the lyrium reserves.
4 - Scene continues.
Return to previous tree.Yenarel: Has alignment ever been a problem? Even once?
Bellara: It’s not worth the risk. Even if it’s only off by a little bit? We know what happens.
Yenarel: Happened. Once. And we can’t even be sure the crystal alignment was why. Look. I know what you’re saying, but maybe if we—
Bellara: We check it. Every. Single. Time.
Yenarel: I’m sorry. You’re right. I just… sorry.
Bellara: Forget it.
Dialogue options:
5 - Affable: Everything okay?
Rook: Are you okay, Bellara?
Bellara: I’m fine.
Yenarel: It’s my fault. Really. I’m sorry, Bellara.
6 - Sarcastic: Um… okay, then.
Rook: All right, uh… go, team?
Yenarel: I’m really sorry, Bellara. I didn’t—
7 - Stoic: Yenarel has a point.
Rook: Yenarel could be right, Bellara. Maybe we don’t need to get so worked up over all this.
Bellara: Yes, we do.
Yenarel: I’m really sorry, Bellara. I didn’t—
8 - Scene continues.
Return to previous tree.Bellara: Let’s go. We want to get back quickly.
Irelin: Of course. See you soon.
Checking Artifacts
Rook: So, what was that all about?
Bellara: What was what all about?
Rook: That tension. It seemed pretty heavy.
Bellara: It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.
Potentially bugged, I think I have seen this once.
Rook: If you want to talk, I’m—
Bellara: I don’t. I’m sorry. That wasn’t fair. Let’s just take care of things, okay?
Bellara opens some nearby doors.
Bellara: Here we are! The artifact vault. Or one of them, at least.
| Veil Jumper Rook | Non-Veil Jumper Rook |
|---|---|
| Rook: I almost missed this place. And all the holes in the walls. | Rook: Looks like it’s seen better days. |
Bellara: Repairing reality doesn’t leave a lot of time for repairing walls. At least, until someone falls through a hole in the floor. Random example.
Bellara heads over to a large artifact.
Bellara: Okay. See those two power crystals? The ones that aren’t glowing? There should be a couple of replacements—charged ones—in the room. If you grab them, I’ll make sure the artifact stays calmed.
Rook picks up one of the crystals and takes it to Bellara.
Rook: Okay. New power crystal is in.
Bellara: Great! And the artifact didn’t collapse the room.
| Veil Jumper Rook | Non-Veil Jumper Rook |
|---|---|
| Rook: Forgot how much fun the whole Veil Jumper thing is.Bellara: Safer than fighting gods, at least?Rook: Point taken. | Rook: Was… that a possibility?Bellara: Always is. |
Rook find the other crystals and brings it over.
Bellara: And there we go.
Rook: So it’s calmed now?
Bellara: Should be. And it’ll stay that way for a while. And in the meantime, it won’t tear open reality. Okay. Let’s keep going.
Rook: Sure. Sounds good.
Rook follows Bellara out.
Rook: So it’s… nice out, at least. You know. Ignoring that reality itself is paper-thin here.
Bellara: Hard to ignore that.
Rook: Right.
Bellara heads to the next artifact and Rook starts looking for crystals.
Rook: Found one.
Bellara: Great! Bring it over here and put it in the socket.
Rook finds a second one.
Rook: So what did this artifact do? Before it was calmed, I mean.
Bellara: It would bring flaming rocks down all around it. Every thirty minutes. And for some reason, you’d hear chanting while it did it. Not sure what that was about.
Rook brings over the last crystal.
Bellara: Okay. Reserve’s replaced, which means… there. Everything’s looking good. Thank you, by the way. For helping out. You have better things to do. I know.
Dialogue options:
- Flirt: For you? Anytime. [1]
- Affable: I do, but… [2]
- Sarcastic: This is a vacation. [3]
- Stoic: This is important too. [4]
1 - Flirt: For you? Anytime.
Rook: I’m happy to help. Besides, you’re fun to spend time with.
Bellara: Really? Oh. I mean… that’s so nice. I like spending time with you, too.
2 - Affable: I do, but…
Rook: Yeah, sure, there’s bigger problems out there. Doesn’t mean this isn’t important.
Bellara: I appreciate that.
3 - Sarcastic: This is a vacation.
Rook: No one’s currently trying to kill me. That feels like a holiday.
Bellara: Right. I forget how exciting your life is.
4 - Stoic: This is important too.
Rook: We’re keeping reality intact. That feels pretty important.
Bellara: Right. Good point.
5 - Scene continues.
Return to previous tree.Bellara: Okay. One more to go.
Bellara leads them further.
Bellara: Not too far now.
They cross a bridge.
Bellara: Thank you. For giving me this chance to help people.
Rook: You were already kind of doing that. As a Veil Jumper.
Bellara: Sort of. But it was never as big, you know? As grand? Helping you… well, we’re helping lots of people. Everywhere. I like that.
They head to the third artifact, and Rook starts looking for crystals.
| Veil Jumper Rook | Non-Veil Jumper Rook |
|---|---|
| Rook: I never really got the hang of calming artifacts.Bellara: I heard you preferred a more… direct approach?Rook: Smash one dangerous artifact with a giant rock, and you get a reputation.Bellara: Harding told me how you stopped Solas’s ritual.Rook: Maybe an accurate reputation. | Rook: So how do you calm an artifact anyway?Bellara: You have to cut it off from its power source. But carefully. Some of them like to try and blow up when you do it. |
Rook passes by Bellara with the first crystal.
Bellara: Hey, Rook…
Rook: What do you need?
Bellara: Um. Never mind.
Rook finds the second crystal.
Rook: Found the other crystal.
Bellara: Great! Slot it in.
Rook puts the last crystal into the slot.
Why I Do This
Bellara: There. Done.
Rook: You okay?
Bellara: Oh, I’m fine. Or will be. It takes a lot out of you. All those little magic bits. Not hard. Just… exhausting. But it needs to be done. And done right.
Dialogue options:
- Affable: I respect that. [1]
- Sarcastic: Let the others help? [2]
- Stoic: You’ll burn yourself out. [3]
1 - Affable: I respect that.
| Veil Jumper Rook | Non-Veil Jumper Rook |
|---|---|
| Rook: Right. Keeping Arlathan from disintegrating is a big part of why I joined up. | Rook: Yeah. Keeping reality from falling apart is important. |
Rook: But other Veil Jumpers can do this. Why not let them?
2 - Sarcastic: Let the others help?
Rook: Right, yeah. But does it have to be done by you? Any Veil Jumper could do this work, right? Why not let them help?
3 - Stoic: You’ll burn yourself out.
Rook: Any Veil Jumper could do this. You need to watch yourself so you don’t burn out. Why would you, specifically, have to do it?
4 - Scene continues.
Return to previous tree.Bellara: Because maybe then I can make up for it.
Rook: Make up for what?
Bellara: For not being good enough. When it counted. I’m sorry. I can’t. Not right now.
Bellara walks away, and Rook follows her outside.
Rook: Bellara, I’m…
Bellara: My brother.
Rook: What?
Bellara: Back there. You asked me why I did this. Why I put myself out here. For him. For my brother. Wherever he is.
Dialogue options:
5 - What do you mean?
Rook: Where is he?
Bellara looks away.
Rook: Oh, no.
Bellara: It’s okay. Well, no, it’s not okay. But not because of you. Cyrian. That was his name.
6 - What happened?
Rook: What happened to your brother?
Bellara: Cyrian. His name was Cyrian.
7 - I’m sorry.
Rook: I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought it up.
Bellara: It’s okay. Well, no, it’s not okay. But not because of you. Cyrian. That was his name.
8 - Scene continues.
Return to previous tree.Bellara: We were the same, you know. In a lot of ways. We wanted to learn everything. About Elvhenan. The magic, the people—all of it. We heard about the Nadas Dirthalen. Figured it had the answers. Or some of them. Then Arlathan started going wrong. I joined the Veil Jumpers. To help people. And he kept looking. Kept putting himself in danger. It should’ve been safe. I know. I checked that artifact three times. I guess it should’ve been four? Artifact started pulsing. He was too close. I couldn’t find my way in. They called him a hero. Wanted to make a statue. They thought it would make it all okay.
Dialogue options:
9 - Never does.
Rook: You loved him. They loved the idea of him.
Bellara: They never knew him. Not really. Didn’t know why he did what he did. Cyrian, he… he felt responsible. For our people. For me.
10 - [Say nothing.]
Bellara: It wasn’t fair. But it never is, is it? Cyrian felt responsible. For our people. For me.
11 - I’m sorry.
Rook: “I’m sorry” doesn’t feel like enough.
Bellara: It’s something. Even if it doesn’t fix it. Cyrian, he… he felt responsible. For our people. For me.
12 - Scene continues.
Return to previous tree.Bellara: My little brother. He thought he needed to take care of me. He called me Vora’shivan. “Hummingbird” in elven. Said it was because I could never sit still. But he loved me for it. Said it kept him thinking. Trying to keep up. And he helped me, too. He kept me focused. Anchored. And now he’s gone. Because I wasn’t good enough.
Rook: It’s not your fault. You have to know that.
Bellara: Then why does it feel like it was?
Rook: You lost someone important. Guilt’s part of that. But if you don’t learn to get past it, you’ll drown.
Bellara: I wish it were that easy. I’ve tried. Told myself I couldn’t have done anything. And my head believes it. But my heart doesn’t. So I try to make up for it. Honor him. Learn about our people. Find the truth. Maybe when I do, I’ll feel it.
Rook: Feel what?
Bellara: That he forgives me. And that I deserve it. We should head back.
Rook starts to leave.
Bellara: Rook? Thank you. For being here.
Deleted Dialogue